Process and apparatus for the production of relief images on cinematograph-film strips



Nov. 19, 1929.

E. THORNTON PROCESS AND ARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF RELIEF IMAGES ONCINEMATOGRAPH FILM STRIPS Original Filed March 27, 1927 INVENTOR Q g ywPatented Nov. 19, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN EDWARD THORNTON,OF JERSEY, CHANNEL ISLANDS, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN OWDEN I OBRIEN, 0FMANCHESTER, ENGLAND raocnss AND APPARATUS non THE PRODUCTIO or RELIEFIMAGESON cmmm'ro- GRAIPH-FILM STRIPS Original application fled March 27,1927, Serial No. 174,945, and in Canada March 17, 1927. Divided and thisapplication filed March 22, 1928. Serial No. 263,853.

I have filed an application for this invention in Canada on March 17,1927.

The present application is a division of Serial No.174,945, filed March27, 1927.

This invention relates to a process for antomatically developing aseries of colloid relief-images upon a sensitized continuous film-stripwhich has been exposed and printed, and for treating and finishing thefilmstrip, and for removing a temporary rein forcing paper from thefilm-strip after the images have been developed, and also to apparatusfor carrying out the process as a continuous one, the exposed andprinted film entering at one end of the apparatus and the driedfilm-strip with the developed and treated images thereon emerging at theother end of the apparatus.

A feature of the invention is that while the process of producing aseries of colloid images in relief upon a continuous film-strip iscarried out as a continuous and automatic process, it is efiected bysuccessive stages or steps, which follow each other and are carried outby separate units of the complete apparatus through which the film-strippasses 1n succession. v The first step consists in passmg thefilmstrip'through a hot water bath to loosen and dissolve the unexposedand soluble portion of the colloid.

Although it is quite possible for this first bath to dissolve the wholeof the soluble colloid, the hot water therein would be more or lesscontaminated by the large quantity of dissolved colloid, and where thiscolloid is of the colored or dyed variety for producin ready-coloredrelief images without a su sequent dyeing. process, the volume ofdissolved colloid and dye accumulating in the first bath would prove agreat objection by preventing the production of a sufiiciently cleanproduct in one bath.

In the second step the film-strip 1s therefore passed through a secondbath of hot water, or is subjected to the action of hot water sprays,for the purpose of completing the development by removing any remain--ing soluble colloid from the relief images; and thus by this second stepthe film-strlp 1s made sufficiently clean and its images so completelydeveloped that it can be used without further treatment. But should itbe found necessary or desirable the film strip may be .thefilm-stripwith a hardening solution such as chrome-alum, formaline, or othersuitable hardening agent. Whilst such treatment may if desire terminatethe third stage of the process, the colloid would be hard and brittleand would tend to split away from the celluloid support, and it istherefore advisable to counteract such tendency by treatin the colloidwith a dilute solution of glycerine, syrup or sugar and water to renderthe colloid sufiiciently flexible and prevent its extreme contraction indrying.

The hardening solution and the flexing solution may be appliedseparately, or they may be mixed and applied simultaneously in a singlebath, or by spraying them on to the colloid surface.

When the film strip is provided with a temporary reinforcing strip ,ofpaper, the paper is loosened from the film-strip during its passagethrough the hot bath and can be removed by suitable means upon emerging'In this drawing the developing apparatus:

comprises two tanks or,baths A and B to which hot water is supplied bypump C and removed by the pump D. The supply pump C is connected to thetop of the pipe 0 and to the top of the tank B by the pipe 0 and theexhaust pump D is connected to the bottom of the tank A by the pipe dand to the bottom of the tank B by the pipe al The tank A is providedwith a series of upper rollers a arranged in pairs between which thefilm E passes and a series of lower rollers a, the top rollers a beingdriven and the bottom rollers a} being idle. The tank the tank A bysprays E are fed by a pump B is also provided with a series of upperrollers Z) arranged in pairs and a series of lower rollers Z2 the upperrollers 5 being driven and the lower rollers 5 being idle.

A guide roller A- is arranged at the inlet end of the tank A to guidethe continuous film-strip E to the first pair of rollers a; and apair ofreels or rollers A are arranged above the point where the film-strip Eemerges from the tank A, which reels or rollers serve to draw away -thetemporary reinforcin paper strip E from the filmstrip E, t e cementattaching the reinforcing paper to the film having been softened duringthe passage through the tank A. A guide roller A 'is, arranged above thewinding rollers A the film-strip E stripped of its reinforcement passingover this roller before passing to the guide roller B at the filmentrance of the tank B.

A number of powerful sprays B are arranged over the top rollers b' ofthe tank B to act on the film-strip E as it passes over each top rollerand assist in loosening and dislodging colloid from the depressed partsof the relief images therein. The sprays B are fed with hot water fromthe pump C through the pipe 0 which is connected to the pipe 0 7Although the apparatus is-shown in the drawings with two developingbaths A and B, aidditional baths may be employed if desire A guideroller B is arranged at the end of the tank B from which the completelydeveloped film strip E emerges, and the film strip E may then pass fromthis roller B to any desired drying, winding or other apparatus. In thedrawings the film E after leaving the tank B is shown as being passedvertically between a pair of sprays E; the G to apply a combinedfinishing or varnishing solution containing hardening and flexingagentsvto the surface of the film or separate solutions of each appliedsuccessively. The surplus solution runs down into the tank H and isre-circulated by the pump G. llhe film E after being passed between thefinishing sprays E passes between a pair of squeezing rollers F to causethe finishingsolution to be evenly spread over the film. Other 501-vents may be used instead of hot water if preferred such as coldsolution of bichromate or an, acid such as acetic, such alternativesolvents being already known but less convenient than hot water. paratusremain the same if such other sol; vents are used.

What l claim as my invention and desire to protect by Letters Patent is2-- l. A process for producing a series of colloid relief images upon acontinuous filmstrip, carried out as a continuous and automatic process,consisting in applying a sol- The process and apfil meats? 2. A processfor producing a series of colloid relief images upona continuousfilmstrip comprising a plurality of stages of treatment of an exposedand printed colloid filmstrip by means of a solvent applied by aplurality of baths and spraying devices by which all soluble colloid isremoved from the film-strip and any} temporary reinforcing strip ofpaper is loosened, detached and removed from the film-strip, leaving aseries of relief images of insoluble colloid upon the film-strip. I

3. A process for producing a series of colstrip carried out as acontinuous and automatic process consisting in applying a solvent in aplurality of stages, the first stage removing most of the solublecolloid from the film strip, and the next stage removing the remainderof the soluble colloid left on the film-strip after the first stage, andsubsequently treating with a hardening agent to harden the insolublecolloid relief images.

4.- A process for producing a series of colloid relief images upon acontinuous filmstrip carried out as a continuous and automatic process,consisting in applying a solvent in a plurality of stages, the firststage removing most of the soluble colloid from the film strip, and thenext stage removing the remainder of the soluble colloid left on thefilm-strip after the first stage, subsequently treating with a hardeningagent to harden the insoluble colloid relief images and finally treatingwith a flexing agent to render hardened colloid of the relief imagesflex- 1 e.

5. A process for producing a series'of colloid relief images upon acontinuous filmstrip carried out as a continuous and auto- .ly treatingwith a hardening agent to harden the insoluble colloid relief images,treating with a flexing agent to render the hardened colloid of therelief images flexible, and finally completing the process by drying the6. Apparatus for carrying out the process for the development ofrelief-images in stages upon a continuous film-strip, comprising twoeach of which is provided with a series of rollers at the topand bottomaround which the film passes, a pair of reels or rollers ar loid reliefimages upon a continuous film- I25 tanks through which a solvent iscirculated,

ranged between the two tanks, and a series lit? I the second tank ofsprays arranged over the top rollers of to act on the film over each toproller thereof, pumps to-circulate the solvents through the tanks, and aseries of sprays to act on the film after leaving the second tank toapply a finishing solution to the developed relief images;

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand;

J QHN EDWARD THORNTON.

as it passes

